When Nikola Jokic hopped off the court in Miami on Dec. 29, the Nuggets’ season appeared to be in jeopardy. Denver struggled in the past without the three-time MVP in the lineup, and he was headed for an extended absence.
Nearly three weeks and nine games later, the Nuggets have solidified their place in the Western Conference standings. Denver is 6-3 without Jokic — and three other rotation players — and at the halfway mark of the season is tied for second in the conference heading into a Saturday home matchup against the Washington Wizards.
The Nuggets have surged behind a deep roster with role players stepping up. Peyton Watson, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Zeke Nnaji have raised their games to keep Denver afloat.
“The narrative sometimes is so funny, because it’s like, ‘What are we showing?’ We’re showing what we can do,” said Denver’s Jamal Murray, who is averaging a career-best 25.8 points a game. “Just playing basketball and playing together. The ball is hopping. Playing hard. We’ve got a squad.”
Murray isn’t the only one thriving. Watson (career-high 13.8 points a game on the season) has elevated his game in January, averaging 23.9 points, and Hardaway is at 17.1 points per contest this month.
Even without Jokic, Cameron Johnson and Jonas Valanciunas all month and with Christian Braun having played just three of the past 30 games, Denver leads the NBA in scoring (122.6 points a game), field-goal percentage (50.2%) and 3-point accuracy (40.3%).
“Not (to be) like a Disney movie here, but these guys like each other, and they like playing basketball together,” coach David Adelman said.
The Nuggets also are catching a break in the schedule. After playing back-to-back nights in New Orleans and Dallas — winning on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively — they are playing a Washington team coming off a late game at Sacramento on Friday night.
The Wizards lost 128-115 to the Kings, their fifth defeat in a row and sixth in the past seven games. They are a team in transition after leading scorer CJ McCollum was traded to Atlanta for Trae Young last week, but Young has yet to suit up for his new team while he recovers from knee and quadriceps injuries.
Young, who is averaging 19.3 points in 10 games this season, is expected to be out until after the All-Star break. Alex Sarr (16.9 points a game) and Kyshawn George (14.9 points) are trying to take on more of the offensive load for Washington.
Sarr stuck around for the entire game on Friday, scoring a team-high 19 points, after he was ejected before halftime of the Wizards’ 119-105 loss against the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday in Inglewood, Calif.
Washington has one of the younger rosters in the NBA, with only two players older than Young, who is 27 — Khris Middleton (34 years old) and Anthony Gill (33). The squad is trying to keep an upbeat attitude.
“No matter what the situation is, no matter what’s going on out there, we got some guys on this team that want to play hard and want to put ourselves in position to win games,” Wizards forward Marvin Bagley III said.
